Trump says Iran war "close to over" amid hopes for more negotiations
Investing.com -- British stocks fell on Wednesday, while European markets traded mixed, despite U.S. President Donald Trump signaled the conflict with Iran may be nearing an end.
In an interview with Sky News, Trump said a permanent ceasefire could be reached before King Charles visits later this month, calling a deal “very possible” and adding that Iran has been “beaten up pretty bad.”
The blue-chip index FTSE 100 declined 0.5%, and the GBP/USD was flat against the dollar at 1.3568. The DAX index in Germany rose 0.2%, the CAC 40 in France fell 0.6%.
UK round up
US President Donald Trump said he may reconsider the terms of a trade agreement reached with the United Kingdom, citing disagreements with British domestic policies and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "We gave them a good trade deal. Better than I had to. Which can always be changed," Trump told Sky News in an interview published Wednesday.
Aegon Ltd (AS:AEGN) announced it will sell Aegon UK to Standard Life for £2.0 billion, completing the strategic review of its UK operations. The proceeds consist of a 15.3% shareholding in Standard Life, equivalent to 181.1 million shares, and £0.75 billion in cash.
Barratt Redrow PLC (LON:BTRW) reaffirmed its full-year home completion guidance despite heightened macroeconomic uncertainty stemming from the Middle East conflict, with shares rising 1.2%. The U.K. homebuilder maintained its target of delivering between 17,200 and 17,800 total home completions for fiscal 2026, including approximately 600 joint venture homes. The company said it expects adjusted profit before tax to align with consensus expectations of approximately £568 million.
Antofagasta PLC (LON:ANTO) reported a drop in copper production in the first quarter of 2026 but was still ahead of company-compiled consensus. The Chilean miner’s shares gained 3%. Antofagasta produced 143,000 tonnes of copper in the three months to March, down 8% from the same period a year earlier, but was ahead of the company’s consensus of 138,000.
Ferrexpo PLC (LON:FXPO) reported a near-50% drop in first-quarter production, as Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure forced the iron ore pellet maker to temporarily suspend operations. The company’s shares slipped 2.6%. Total output fell 45% from the prior quarter to 593,000 tonnes, comprising 525,000 tonnes of premium iron ore pellets and 68,000 tonnes of commercial concentrate.
Shares in Saga (LON:SAGA) climbed more than 8% after the company reported a full-year profit, reversing a loss from the previous year. The group posted a profit before tax of £2.1 million for the year ended Jan. 31, 2026, versus a loss of £160.2 million a year earlier.
Tatton Asset Management PLC (LON:TAMT) reported annual inflows of £2.8 billion and said its full-year results would be towards the upper end of market expectations. Total assets under management and influence rose 11% year-on-year to £24.2 billion for the year ended March 31.
Hunting PLC (LON:HTG) reported first-quarter core earnings of $23.2 million, sending shares down by 3%. The Q1 figure represented a 10% EBITDA margin and just 15.5% of the midpoint of the company’s unchanged full-year guidance range of $145 million to $155 million.
Rank Group PLC (LON:RNK) raised its full-year underlying operating profit guidance to at least £68 million, sending shares up over 8%. The guidance beat the upper end of a company-compiled analyst consensus range of £65.1 million to £68.2 million for the 2025-26 financial year.